Occasionally, I recall the lyrics of the song "Coffee Alone" by composer Ngoc Le: "This morning, coffee alone; Saigon suddenly rains; How much I miss you, how can I ever get enough; Oh, my dear, my love."
Behind every drop of coffee, there seems to be a memory.
It's strange, but when you think about coffee, a drink that doesn't necessarily require a large gathering. Just being alone in silence is enough to create a whispered story within yourself. Behind every drop of coffee, there seems to be a memory.
I love coffee – it's an almost indispensable drink every day.
Like many Vietnamese people, I love coffee – a drink that's almost indispensable to my daily life. Except when I'm not feeling well, I only have to temporarily part with the rich aroma of coffee as the hot water slowly drips through the small filter.
A few years ago, I also learned about a new way of preparing coffee: salted coffee.
A typical workday begins with a cup of coffee after breakfast. Another cup is added around lunchtime to ward off drowsiness. The choice depends on personal preference: it could be a dark black coffee, a reddish-brown iced coffee with milk, a mild iced coffee with condensed milk, a sweet and refreshing coffee with fresh milk, or even a Hanoi -style egg coffee. Often, coffee is simply an excuse to make plans: "Let's meet for coffee sometime."
A typical workday begins with a cup of coffee.
A few years ago, I discovered a new way of preparing coffee: salted coffee. It's still the familiar coffee, but with a layer of rich, creamy salt. Coffee is already bitter, and adding a little salt makes it even more flavorful, but when combined with the cream, it becomes surprisingly harmonious. And I even heard it jokingly called: "a glass of bitter salt."
Although brewing methods may change over time, the core of coffee remains its distinctive bitterness.
Although brewing methods may change over time, the core of coffee remains its unique bitterness. It's the bitterness of sun-dried coffee beans, and perhaps also the salty taste of the sweat of those who silently nurtured each seedling, sending the finest coffee beans to all corners of the world.
Those little film reels are always full of memories.
In the lingering taste of each drop of coffee, I believe one can still feel the warmth and affection of the land and people of Vietnam.
(Entry for the "Impressions on Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" contest 2026, part of the 4th "Celebrating Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" program organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).
Source: https://nld.com.vn/nghia-tinh-du-vi-ca-phe-196260316091831898.htm
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